Since 2005, New Orleans has improved more thanany other school district in Louisiana.

District Performance Highlights

Educate Now! calculates that the combined DPS for New Orleans should be around 82.4. This means that New Orleans has grown a stunning 25.5 points – 49% – between 2005 and 2011!

#1 in Growth Since 2005District Performance Score = All students, all grades, all tests

The 2011 combined DPS for New Orleans was calculated by Educate Now!

To put this growth in perspective, it is roughly the equivalent of an average increase of 2 ACT points for New Orleans students – huge growth!

During this same time, the state grew 6.5 points or 7.4 %.

Our estimated DPS places New Orleans in 1st place for growth since 2005. The #2 spot goes to Red River Parish with a DPS increase of 24.6 points. Even if Educate Now! is off by a few tenths of a percent, New Orleans remains #1 in growth!

The district performance score is the most comprehensive measurement of performance. It includes all students, all tests, all performance levels, as well as dropout and attendance data. Educate Now! calls on the Department of Education to release the official 2011 combined score as soon as possible.

Both RSD and OPSB are Showing Strong Improvement

RSD’s DPS score went from 41.8 in 2007, to 60.6 in 2010, to 69.2 in 2011.

OPSB’s 2011 score of 118 is the second highest DPS in Louisiana.

RSD ranks #1 for growth between 2007 and 2011; OPSB ranks #4.

School Performance Highlights

The number of schools performing below 65 (F) continues to fall.

In 2005, 110 schools received an SPS – 78 were below 65.

In 2010, 68 schools received an SPS – 24 were below 65.

In 2011, 75 schools received an SPS – 21 are below 65.

The number of schools with an SPS of 90 or higher (A, B or C) continues to increase.

New Grading System for Schools

In 2010, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved a new grading system for schools. Instead of a 1 to 5 star rating, schools now earn letter grades based on their annual School Performance Scores (SPS).

Under the new system, a top-performing school with an SPS of 120 or above earns an “A.” The bar for failing schools moved from below 60 to below 65. Any school with an SPS below 65 received an “F.”

Letter grades are assigned as follows:

Letter Grade

SPS Range(2010-2011)

A

120.0 – 200.0

B

105.0 – 119.9

C

90.0 – 104.9

D

65.0 – 89.9

F

0 – 64.9

Schools that meet their growth target earn a plus (+) sign after their letter grade. If a school declines from 2010 to 2011, the letter grade is followed by a minus (-) sign.

To compare school performance over time, Educate Now! converted the SPS for New Orleans schools in 2005 and 2010 to letter grades based upon the 2011 grading scale.

Comparing Total Performance (includes RSD, OPSB and Type 2 charters)

% of New Orleans Schoolsat Each Grade Level2005-2011

Letter Grade

2005

2010

2011

A

4%

7%

7%

B

5%

7%

17%

C

4%

7%

9%

D

16%

43%

39%

F

71%

35%

28%

High Schools

Most of the high schools that opened in 2006 saw very big jumps in their SPS, due in part to a new element that’s been added to their SPS calculation: the Graduation Index.

The Graduation Index assigns points to a school based upon how well the high school did in graduating their students and how well prepared these students are for post-secondary education. For more information, see Understanding the New Graduation Index.

The following high schools were open in 2006-07, and their 2011 scores now include a Graduation Index.

High Schools Open
in SY 2006-07

2010 Baseline SPS

2011 Baseline SPS

Change 2010-2011

2011 Grade

Benjamin Franklin High School

169.8

186.2

16.4

A+

Warren Easton Senior High School

92.6

120.2

27.6

A+

Lusher Charter School

146.2

155.4

9.2

A+

Edna Karr Secondary School

87.6

115

27.4

B+

Eleanor McMain Secondary School

88.9

108

19.1

B+

New Orleans Charter Science & Math HS

81.0

106.4

25.4

B+

McDonogh #35 Senior High School

83.9

103.2

19.3

C+

O.P. Walker Senior High School

68.4

95.5

27.1

C+

John McDonogh Senior High School

32.2

41.8

9.6

F

Sarah Towles Reed Senior High School

34.9

33.7

-1.2

F-

Shout Out to Our High Performing Schools: A’s and B’s

Educate Now! congratulates these high performing schools that received a school grade of either an A or a B.

High Performing Schools

2011 Baseline SPS

2011 Letter Grade

Benjamin Franklin High School

186.2

A+

Lusher Charter School

155.4

A+

Lake Forest Elementary Charter School

147.8

A

Audubon Charter School

120.4

A

Warren Easton Senior High School

120.2

A+

Mary Bethune Elem. Literature/Technology

118.7

B-

Edward Hynes Charter School

117.2

B

Edna Karr Secondary School

115

B+

Robert Russa Moton Charter School

111.6

B

KIPP Believe College Prep (Phillips)

111.6

B

Benjamin Franklin Elem. Math and Science

111.5

B

International School of Louisiana

110.8

B

Eleanor McMain Secondary School

108

B+

Martin Behrman Elementary School

107.5

B

KIPP Central City Academy

107.5

B+

Akili Academy of New Orleans

106.6

B

New Orleans Charter Science & Math HS

106.4

B

KIPP Central City Primary

105.6

B-

Our Challenge: Sustaining the Momentum

Our challenge for the future will be to continue to improve our school performance – and to improve faster than the rest of the state. While we celebrate growth – and we should – at the end of the day, what students and their families care about is are students getting the education they need to be college and career ready? Right now, the answer for too many is still “no.” We are doing a much better job, but we have a long distance to travel. We have had 5 years of sustained, compounded growth. Here’s to hoping for a 6peat this school year.

A BIG THANK YOU

Congrats to the principals, teachers, charter board members, school support staff and others who work every day to improve their schools and the educational opportunities for our children. As a city, y’all did a great job in 2010-11! Thank you.